MR FOWLDS & MR MASSEY

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7450, 26 May 1911, Page 1

MR FOWLDS & MR MASSEY

FURTHER SHOTS FIRED. MINISTER DEALS AVITH OPPOSITION LEADER’S LATEST. "Mr Massey’s reply is'very tamo after tho boastful promise of 'nuts to crack which.' he- made at tho beginning of the week.” This remark was made by the Minister- of Education, tho Hon. G. Fowlds, vesterday, when dealing with, the latest interview given by 'Mr Massey to the Opposition press. The interview referred to wns- given by tho Opposition leader as ho passed tnrou-g'h'AVollington on AVcdnesday and purported .to be a reply to the statements of _the Minister in the interview with, a; '-'New Zealand Times” representative which was published in these columns-that same morning. DISTORTION OF MEANING. "Ho complains about my taking four lines out of his speech on the Financial Statement without the context,” said the Minister, "and then calls it a species of politics that one would - imagine would not bo indulged in by any fair-minded politician. This is very funny coming from a gentleman, who in his previous interview insinuated that I had jeered at tho , farmer members of Parliament without-making any ' reference' to "■ the cause'of my criticism on the occasion referred to, and from a gentleman','at. the head of a party organisation which at the last election circulated thousands of leaflets or pamphlets with so-called extracts from my speeches and the speeches of some of my colleagues, wrung from the context in tho. most outrageous fashion. 1 "THE SOUL OF CANDOUR”! "As an exponent of what the single-tax would do. Mr Massey is tho eoul of candour and exact knowledge,” tho Minister wont on .to-say.'.' "I notice that-he does not. attempt, to question ' the, accuracy of the figures I'gave at Pukekoho. ■ Let me repeat thorn. They are extracts- from table -1 of Parliamentary return B 17 A. 1907, which showed that 22,890 ownersof country lands in New Zealand out of a total 'of .45.063, i. 0., more than half cb them, own less mi an average than .£lßl worth, and if all the other taxes were abolished- they would ■ pay on an average less than AD.a year. If yon take Customs duty at A 3 per head, which is less than the average paid for the last five years, that means 4615 for a family of five persons—father, -mother and three children—or n saving of A 6 per year per family without taking into consideration the profits of tho traders on the duty paid and the enhanced price of local products. . That remission of taxation would mean a very handsome return for the ‘decreased value’ of his land mentioned by Air Aln-ssey. "I notice that Mr Massey announces Ills, intention of dealing with me in the future only on tho platform,” said the Minister in conclusion,, adding, "I think his decision is 'a wise one.”